FAIRVIEW 2006 PINOTAGE

If anyone is going to make this South African specialty, a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, an option in America, it would be Charles Back. From his creative Goats Do Roam series to his more traditional bottlings, he was one who always realized that, while terroir is important, you need fruit to make it all work. Harvested from mainly bush vines that are up to 25 years old from four different vineyards, this has an opaque dark color, the nose speaks of fruit first and then gives you the mineral, game and pepper notes in small, appealing doses. There is roundness in the mouth with flavors of black and dark red fruits and a sort of dusty edge to the flavors with some ripe tannins woven in. If there was such a thing as Pinotage with training wheels, this is it. But that’s just an added bonus of what is simply a stylish, tasty red at a great price for what it delivers.